Chapter 14: Interlude (Fire and Ice)

Chapter 14: Interlude (Fire and Ice)

Back at the 'Entrance' Islands, another duo of dearly departed wandered on the beach. They weren't in a particularly good mood, considering they'd woken up mid-air and hadn't stuck the landing. One was tall and muscular, with bandages wrapped around his mouth. An absolutely massive blade was strapped to his back. The other was a smaller, more effeminate fellow with long black hair.

"Master Zabuza," the younger hesitantly spoke up.

"Hmm?"

"Do you think we've been revived again?" he wondered.

"I don't think so, Haku," Zabuza guessed. "This feels different. We're not being given orders…and I don't feel a compulsion to kill."

"So…is this the afterlife?" Haku gazed at the open ocean.

"More boring than I'd thought it'd be," Zabuza wasn't impressed...having expected to be thrown into a pit of hellfire and brimstone.

"I don't know," Haku decided to be a contrarian for a bit. "This is honestly a nice change of pace."

Suddenly, the two saw a massive cloud of mist appear on the horizon. Haku gave a quick look to Zabuza. "You were saying about being bored?"

Ignoring that jab, Zabuza slammed Kubikiribocho on the ground. He then raised a single Hand Sign. "Haku, conceal yourself."

Once his protégé had vanished with Flash Step, Zabuza called forth his Chakra, using his own Hidden Mist Jutsu. Once the two clouds of mist collided, the Swordsman relied on his ears and sensing ability. He needn't have bothered.

"Oh…an Otherworlder tha' can actually manipulate mist," an Irish accent pierced through the fog. "Intriguin'"

Making an effort to have his voice ring out (so as not to be zeroed in on), Zabuza replied. "Who are you?"

The stranger laughed. "My, my…in' it rude to ask without introducing yourself?"

Before Zabuza could even move, the mist (both his and the stranger's) was completely dissipated with a burst of power that knocked the Mist Ninja off his feet.

Quickly righting himself, Zabuza saw a modest ferry (almost like a gondola). The ferryman had placed the oar to his side, and was walking on the surface of the water. His single passenger was a young man with spiky black hair, and a toned body that was accentuated by a tattoo on his right pectoral. He was dozing off with his arms crossed.

The ferryman himself was older, with the decent white beard to prove it. He wore a simple white cloak, with the hood pulled down. A sword in scabbard swung at his side. Zabuza was immediately on edge at the power casually emanating from this stranger.

"I'm Zabuza Momochi, Demon of the Hidden Mist," the Ninja got straight to the point, Kubikiribocho still at the ready.

"Indeed," the ferryman took a bow down. "And I'm Manannán mac Lir." The god revealed himself. "And once your little friend introduces himself…we can get down to the reason I'm here."

Zabuza gave an almost imperceptible nod, signaling his protégé to come out. "I'm Haku." The Ninjas still gave suspicious looks to the newcomer.

"Oho…I thought that I'd only be able to collect the Wizard before returning," Manannán indicated the solitary passenger. "But here I find two Ninjas with such remarkable potential…Hades is truly outdoing himself."

"What are you blabbering on about?" the irritated Zabuza raised Kubikiribocho, while motioning Haku to get behind him.

"Ah…where are me manners?" Manannán chuckled to himself. "Welcome to the Sea of Second Chances, where dozens of worlds' dead come together for one last chance. For now, I'll act as your ferryman."

"And where would you be oh-so-generously ferrying us?" Zabuza remained healthily skeptical.

"To my home, the Land of Tuath…where you can meet fellow warriors and prepare."

"Prepare for what?" Haku had raised an eyebrow.

"War," Manannán simply put it.

While Haku cringed, Zabuza visibly trembled in suppressed rage. "You're telling me that the only reason Haku and I have been allowed a second chance is to serve you in war?" Considering what he'd been forced to do with Edo Tensei, the Ninja was remarkably restrained at the prospect of a repeat performance.

Manannán's eyes hardened. "No. I'm not like that duplicitous Kabuto hiding behind revenants. I merely offer a choice. By all means, feel free to head on West by yourselves. But know this…" With a snap of his fingers, the mist returned in full force, completely obscuring everything except the four of them. Zabuza and Haku couldn't help but gape in awe at the sheer power pulsing through the Mist.

"You quiver at my might…yet my own strength pales in comparison to those who rule the Sea. If you do indeed head West, with the strength you have now, at best you'd be nothing but lowly tools to them."

Zabuza growled at the very idea of being a simple 'tool' once again. Haku looked at his Master in concern. Still, neither could argue after that display of power.

"But if you come with me, you'll both have the chance to gain the strength to stand for yourselves. With me, you two can still maintain your humanity. While my greatest desire is for you two to join in the fight against those Heathen scum…I will still give you the option of forging your own path once you have the strength to do so," Manannán offered an open hand.

Zabuza weighed his options. If this sort of offer had been given in his first life, he would've simply told them to screw off (violently or otherwise). But, there was Haku to consider. As proud as he was of his student, Zabuza didn't want Haku to face such fearsome opponents just yet. If this Manannán character was offering a shelter where he could get Haku to S-Rank level in relative peace, then he would take it. Doesn't mean that he'd be completely trusting of the Celtic Deity though.

The Ninja didn't accept the hand, but he gave a deep nod. "Fine, we'll come with you for now…but we will leave in an instant if we don't like the lay of the land."

Manannán sighed as he put his hand down. "Tha' was honestly a better answer than I was expectin'. Alright then…if we leave now, it'll only take a few hours to get back."

The god returned to his humble vessel, picking up the paddle. Zabuza and Haku followed on the water, earning a raised eyebrow from the other passenger. "Ninjas can walk on water?" the young man asked, his eyes widening slightly.

"Yeah," Zabuza gruffly replied. "And what're you supposed to be?"

"Name's Gray Fullbuster," he held out a hand with a little ice replica of his tattoo, "and I'm a Fairy Tail Wizard."

Haku's eyes widened. "You can use ice too?"

"Yeah," Gray let a little smile grace his normally sullen appearance. "Maybe we can spar when we get to…wherever Manannán is taking us."

"By the way," Haku couldn't help but observe. "Why aren't you wearing anything? Is it to build up cold tolerance?"

"HUH? AH SHIT!" Gray frantically put his shirt back on, earning a chuckle from Manannán.

Zabuza gave an exasperated sigh. "I'm already regretting this."

OoOoOoO

Elsewhere, two perverts were indulging themselves as they walked on the beaten path to a town.

"Oh," Jiraiya wrote a little bit down, with Rangiku looking over his shoulder.

"No, no, no…you need to write it like 'OOOHHH,'" the Soul Reaper let out a loud moan, startling whatever poor creature was close enough to hear.

"Ah…but Rangiku…I still got 20 more pages in this scene. We need to build up to that sort of thing," Jiraiya gave what was an almost a condescending shake of his head.

"But the readers would already be shipping these two at this point. The pace should pick up," Rangiku pouted.

"Haven't you heard the phrase 'good things come to those who wait'?" the Toad Sage raised an eyebrow.

"That's what the last 200 pages were for," Rangiku retorted. "At some point, the readers will be thinking along the lines of 'get on with it'."

"But a proper romance needs time," Jiraiya was remarkably patient with someone criticizing his writing skills (probably because she had the greatest rack he had ever seen).

Rangiku sighed at the rebuttal. "Yes…but this is the culmination of all that development. You've firmly established their chemistry…so it's time to get it on."

Jiraiya had a thoughtful look. "You do raise a fair point. I'll go ahead and shorten the 'foreplay' by a page or two."

"Ooh, goodie," Rangiku was instantly back to her usual cheery mood. At this point, they had reached the town. The Soul Reaper brought out a sketch (a silver-haired man with closed eyes and a sly grin), her smile fading as she gazed at it. "Can we hold off on asking around like usual for now?"

Jiraiya's expression softened, his own sketches of his old student and their wife in his pocket. "Sure…I bet there's a decent bar we can crash at before finding an inn."

"Much appreciated," Rangiku mumbled.

At the bar, the Ninja and Soul Reaper found themselves eyeing something peculiar. Normally, Jiraiya would be going crazy over a cute girl wearing nothing but a bikini over her top, revealing the tattoo on the left of her flat stomach. Still, even he was shocked at the sight of the stranger guzzling down a literal barrel of booze. And it wasn't even her first one…if the half-dozen other empty barrels rolling around were any indication.

"I don't think a single Soul Reaper ever drank that much," Rangiku whispered in awe.

"Tsunade's got nothing on this," Jiraiya thought in a similar vein.

"Ooh heey…there's hic plenty to go around…don' let me stop ya'," the girl was only just starting to slur.

"Suuuure," Rangiku gingerly stepped around the barrels. Jiraiya, more perturbed than excited, was bringing out a notebook, finding the weirdest source of inspiration yet.

"Um…Miss…?" the veteran Ninja began.

"Name's Cana old timer," the young Wizard grinned.

"Rangiku…a pleasure," the Soul Reaper got a shaky handshake for her trouble.

"Oh, well," Jiraiya started getting his groove back. "I am the Hermit of Mt. Myoboku, one of the Legendary Sannin, and THE TOAD SAGE, JIRAIYA!" As the man struck a pose, the distant sounds of Kabuki could be heard fading away.

"Isss that suppose' to mean anythin'?" Cana gave an incredulous look.

Jiraiya went into a Corner of Woe. "Will no one appreciate my introductions anymore?"

"To be fair," Rangiku consoled him. "You kinda need Ninja World context to really get it."

"Guess you're right," Jiraiya conceded. "Speaking of which…what's your world?"

"Earthland…the one with the Wizards," Cana provided.

"Well…we haven't run into anyone else from there," Rangiku shrugged.

"Shame…" Cana sipped the last of her barrel. "How bout y'all?"

"Soul Reaper."

"Ninja."

"Neato…" Cana threw her now finished barrel to the side. "Ran into another Ninja few weeks back…and she was absolute crap at playing," she absentmindedly recalled as she fiddled with a deck of cards.

"Was she blonde? What was she wearing?" Jiraiya was showing a lot more investment.

"Yeah…"Cana scratched her head. "She wore something green, with a big ol red dot and some symbol on her back."

Jiraiya's smile was the biggest it had ever been since falling into the Sea of Second Chances. "Any idea where she went?"

"Umm…I drunk her under the table…but she was gone when I woke up…sorry," the Wizard apologized.

"Well…at least there's one familiar face to look forward to," the Ninja mused.

"Speaking of familiar faces..." Rangiku brought out her sketch. "You ever seen this man?"

Cana narrowed her eyes in concentration (fighting through the buzz). "No…sorry."

"C'mon Rangiku," Jiraiya moved to cheer her up. "Let's have a drink."

"Sure…but just a few this time," Rangiku settled into her seat.

It wasn't just a few.

The next morning, a Ninja, a Soul Reaper, and a Wizard were all still knocked out. They'd be regretting all their life choices once they woke up to their hangovers.

OoOoOoO

Ochaco Uraraka was struggling. At the moment, her and her two companions were training. Or rather, their Sensei engaged in the exercise while the two students attempted to emulate. The three figures weren't traveling by boat, but by riding on pieces of rubble floating through the air.

Former Admiral Fujitora turned to the others. "Keep pushing Uraraka."

Fighting her queasiness, the Pro-Hero nodded.

"Issho-sensei," the taller, more stern-looking woman called out, heavily sweating from the strain of her Gravity Manipulation Magic. "How far to the next island?"

Issho exerted his incredibly astute Observation Haki. "At this rate…less than an hour, Kagura."

"Good," Kagura was obviously relieved.

"I'm…not gonna make it," Uraraka started floating herself towards Issho's biggest piece of rubble. Once she was close, she released her Quirk. The few pieces of rubble under her control fell into the sea, along with the contents of her stomach.

At the sight of Uraraka hurling, Kagura's own control began to falter. Granted, she held out for another half-hour. But even she couldn't maintain her Magic for so long.

Issho gave a gentle smile to both his students. "You've both done very well. At this rate, you'll be able to go from island-to-island on your own power in no time."

"Re…Really?" Uraraka was shocked at the very idea of becoming so powerful.

"Indeed…I have quite the eye for talent after all," Issho chuckled.

"Did you just…?"Kagura was about to call out the pun, only for Uraraka to start giggling. The Wizard just rolled her eyes.

With a half-hour of recovery, the trio was all ready to go once land was in sight.

Unfortunately, there was something else there. It was massive, four times the size of Issho. The creature mostly resembled a human, except that the head was smaller in proportional terms. A single bulging eye stared right at the trio. Grabbing a mighty club, the Cyclops glowered at them.

"Issho-Sensei…let me handle this," Kagura stepped forward, her blade Archenemy in its sheath, ready to use Undrawn Sword Style.

"Kagura?" the ex-Admiral raised an eyebrow.

"May I have this chance to show the fruits of my training against a real opponent?" the Wizard asked, her head bowed in respect.

Quickly, Issho took out a single dice and a cup. He threw it in, shook it around, and put the cup down.

"Call it."

Kagura smirked. "Evens."

Issho lifted the cup. "Uraraka?"

"It's six."

The ex-Admiral chuckled. "With fortune smiling on you, how could I say no?"

"Wait…as a Pro-Hero, I can't exactly just stand by," Uraraka stepped up. "But I'll let you take the lead on this. So, prove what you feel you need to."

"Well," Kagura had a faint smile. "Guess both of us will get to show off for Sensei."

The two girls then faced off against the giant Cyclops. With a bellow, it swung the club down. Kagura and Uraraka split, dividing the creature's attention.

"RAH!" the Cyclops turned to the Swordswoman. Club and undrawn Archenemy clanged and clashed as fast as the eye could see. Every so often, the club would be sent off course by a particularly powerful parry on Kagura's end. Whenever that happened, debris would be cracked out of the ground. Unbeknownst to the Cyclops, Uraraka was quickly touching every single stray bit of terrain that was dislodged.

Without even tapping into her Magic yet, Kagura's strength was enough to match the blows of the mighty creature. "Is my strength at the level of Issho-Sensei's world yet? Am I actually closing the gap between us?"

The Cyclops quickly tried to bring a strike down, only for Kagura to dodge this one, providing more debris for Uraraka. This process went on for the better part of an hour, neither side giving an inch.

Running out of patience, the dimwitted Cyclops tried targeting Uraraka…tried being the key word here. With years of being a Pro-Hero combined with training from an Admiral, the club strikes seemed like they were in slow motion to the girl. She even took advantage by managing to get even more debris created.

With a nod from the Pro-Hero, Kagura realized it was time to wrap things up. She did a deliberate feint towards the Cyclops' right leg. It stepped back and brought down the club, confident she couldn't react in time.

"Slashing Form!" Kagura, with Archenemy still in its sheath, completely decimated the club being wielded. Even more angered, the Cyclops tried to reach out with his bare hands.

"And now," Kagura thought to herself. "To see my Magic's improvement." "Gravity Change Magic!" In just a second, the Cyclops collapsed to its knees, feeling its own weight increase tenfold.

"Alright!" Uraraka cheered her fellow student on. "Now it's my turn."

Pushing her Quirk to the limit, Uraraka had brought every single piece of debris up to the level of the clouds. Then, she brought her finger pads together.

"Meteor Shower!" She brought everything down with such force that all the pieces looked like they were asteroids burning up on reentry. This was only possible due to her adding gravity to her debris, a newly acquired skill discovered in Issho's training.

"RAH!" The Cyclops was pummeled into oblivion.

Once the enemy was destroyed, Kagura released her Magic. "Most impressive, Uraraka."

The Pro-Hero was breathing deeply. "Thanks," she gave a shaky thumbs-up, unable to resist the urge of pushing things up to eleven and currently facing the consequences.

The two heard Issho stand back up and start clapping. "Wonderfully done, you two. You both have improved so much since I took you on. You've already made me proud…and I know that you'll continue to do so."

Kagura and Uraraka beamed at the praise.

OoOoOoO

Far away, a pink-skinned girl with bright curly pink hair, two small horns, and black eyes was at the wheel of a humble sloop. Granted, she wasn't exactly a veteran at navigation, but she was the only one even capable on this ship.

"Ashido," a man with spiky red hair, a scar over one eye, and pointy ears clutched his stomach. "Could you at least try and keep it smooth? HURK" He leaned even further over the side.

The concerned Pro-Hero gave the gentlest smile she could. "Erik…this is as smooth as it gets. Not sure what to tell you."

PPPPFFFFTTTTT!

The disgusting noise from inside their cabin sent Erik over the edge.

BLURGH!

Mina flinched at her crewmates' unstable bowels, and turned towards their restroom.

"Hey, Gelly! You alright in there?"

"Oh…I'll be fine," a deep voice replied.

"If this keeps up," Mina decided to put her foot down. "I'm not going to put my Acid in your lunch again."

"But it tastes so good…OH!" the deep voice tried to protest, only to get back to his duty.

"I'm serious…you're spending hours on the toilet every day," the Pro couldn't hide her concern over the disturbing habit.

Finally, the toilet flushed, and the door opened. It was a tall man, with fake horns and bat wings. His face bore a remarkable resemblance to a mandrill's. A hand covered in a metal gauntlet cradled his stomach.

"Uuhh…at least keep a little Acid in your soups…they're so good," Magellan, former Warden of Impel Down, nearly begged.

"It WAS just a little Acid, that's the point," Mina looked very unimpressed.

"How about I just have some of Erik's Poison instead with dinner?" Magellan tried negotiating.

HURK!

"He's not going to be poisoning anyone as long as we're on this ship," Mina pointed out.

Suddenly, Magellan's whole demeanor became serious. "Well…we're nearing land, so he might need to."

Once within eyesight, Mina and Erik got why their newfound friend was so focused. Something was very wrong. What used to be a small town was now smoking ruins. But there was something far more disconcerting.

"I can't find anyone," Mina announced to the others. Despite clear signs of settlement, not a single human being (dead or otherwise) was left.

"All the scents here are still fresh," Erik narrowed his eyes. "It can't have been more than a few hours."

"Which means that whoever did this is most likely still here," Magellan surveyed his surroundings.

In her heart, Mina wanted to search for survivors, but her more logical side sensed how futile that course of action would be. "I'm not sure us lingering will do anyone good," she suggested.

"You're probably right," Magellan started to move back to the ship.

"Hold it, I hear something," Erik brought up a hand, readying his Poison Dragon Slayer Magic. "What the Hell?!"

Suddenly, the ground started to rumble and crack apart.

From beneath the earth, thousands of hissing white serpents burst forth. The ones closest to the trio unhinged their jaws, with blades protruding out of their throats.

"SHIT!" Mina exclaimed as the trio jumped back. With the snakes slithering in, she bought them some space. "Acid Veil!" the Pro instantly dissolved the nearby snakes, buying time for her friends to build up their moves.

"Poison Dragon Scales!" Erik took the offensive and obliterated another hundred serpents.

It looked like the snakes would get close, until Magellan stepped up. "Venom Cloud!" In an instant, the Venom-Venom Fruit wielder created enough poisonous fog to cover all the serpents.

Writhing in pain, every single snake hissed as their lungs began to fail. Mina and Erik stood in awe, still not quite used to their companion's sheer scale of power.

The Dragon Slayer's eyes widened. "We're not done!"

Thanks to Erik's warning, the trio was able to avoid a gargantuan white snake that slammed its way out of the ground.

Acting quickly, Magellan stood in front of the others and covered himself in Poison. The snake started to take a bite, but reared back in pain once its mouth made contact.

Seizing his chance, Magellan conjured his signature move. "HYDRA!" With the snake momentarily stunned, the former Warden easily engulfed it in a devastating combination of poisons and toxins.

The snake began to dissolve, but not before something happened. A pale white hand started protruding from the giant snake's mouth. It was attached to an incredibly pale man. He was lean and tall, with long dark hair reaching to the small of his back. His eyes were gold with slits. He was covered in the bile of the poisoned snake, but seemed to be completely unharmed.

The creature turned to the trio, eyes lingering on Erik. He leered at the Dragon Slayer, an overly long tongue licking his lips. "My, my, such a potent level of energy coming from you. And it feels Magic. You must be one of those Dragon Slayers I've heard so much about," the man chuckled in a low, raspy voice as he turned to the others.

"Strange, you two are capable of manipulating so much poison, yet I'm not sensing anything from you two. What worlds are you from?"

Mina was absolutely terrified, trembling where she stood. Noticing, Magellan put a hand on her shoulder, reassuring her.

"That's no concern of yours," Impel Down's mightiest guard glared at the creature in the shape of a man. He was reminded of the absolute worst prisoners he had had the 'luxury' of guarding down in Level 6. The sheer bloodlust and power emanating from this creature was putting him on edge. Someone like that could easily overpower his newfound companions if they had the chance. Magellan absolutely could not let that happen. With that in mind, he made his decision.

Magellan stepped forward. "Mina, Erik, give me some room. I'm going all out."

"No!" Mina protested. "We're not just going to leave you alone!"

"DO AS I SAY!" Magellan bellowed. "I'm not even sure if you two could survive this…so be careful."

Once Mina and Erik had leaped back, he raised his hand. "VENOM DEMON!"

The creature laughed at the sight of the poison coalescing around his newfound opponent. "Magnificent! Such power without even tapping into an energy source like Chakra or Reishi. I simply must find out its limits."

His stomach began pulsating, causing the creature to barf up a sword through his throat. Grabbing it, he awaited the coming Poison Man.

Within seeing distance, two other figures observed the brewing fight. One was a man with black and white face paint, an incredibly ornate headpiece, yellow eyes and the black Haori of the Soul Reaper. The other was a more modestly dressed woman with dark hair and eyes, currently taking notes.

"Nemu," the man spoke in a high, shrill voice. "Are you detecting any energy signature from the girl? Or the big man?"

"None," the woman replied.

"My, my, no wonder Orochimaru is so eager to run tests on them. I'm feeling generous so I'll allow him 15 minutes to play with them on his own. After that, I'll begin my own experiments. We'll pool our data afterwards."

"Of course," Nemu submissively agreed.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi looked back and grinned as Magellan and Orochimaru clashed, truly relishing the scientific possibilities of this new world.

OoOoOoO

On yet another far off beach, a solitary figure was wandering aimlessly. He was incredibly pale, with green eyes, dark neck-length hair, and half of a helm resting on the left side of his head.

Ulquiorra Cifer had just woken up and wasn't quite sure what to do with himself. Not sensing anyone for now, the former Espada asked himself what was going on. Surely, there wasn't another afterlife after his existence as a Hollow.

Before he could ponder further, he noticed an eyeball open up on the tree. Ulquiorra waited, knowing that something had to follow up such an action. Sure enough, a mouth appeared in a flurry of petals. "Did you just wake up?" a cool, collected female voice emerged from the mouth.

"Yes," Ulquiorra was on edge, not particularly familiar with handling himself in such a bizarre situation.

"Do I have your word that you won't attack if I reveal myself?" the mysterious greeter asked.

"Maybe," Ulquiorra was suspicious, but he didn't feel like lying.

"Guess that'll have to do," the eye and mouth vanished in another flurry of petals.

Within the next few seconds, a woman emerged from the foliage. "How could I not sense her?" Ulquiorra asked himself.

"My name is Nico Robin." She was tall, with long black hair, an incredibly curvaceous figure, and stunning blue eyes.

"Well, Nico Robin, what business do you have with me?" the Hollow carefully asked.

"I'm here because I am under the employ of someone wanting to keep an eye out for new arrivals. Speaking of which, I never got your name." Robin kept her eye on the man while one hand reached into her pocket.

"Ulquiorra," the Hollow answered in a deep monotone.

"Well…I'm know this is sudden, but please bare with me. I'm contacting someone who can explain everything," Robin pulled out what she'd been carrying.

Frankly, Ulquiorra questioned the woman's sanity when she pulled out a snail. Then, he began questioning his own sanity when a peculiar noise emitted from said snail. When the snail made a different "gacha" noise, its eyes opened up.

"This is Nico Robin. I've found another one needing debriefing." She held out the snail.

Ulquiorra gingerly plucked the snail into his own hand, raising an eyebrow as it gave him a long, pondering look.

"Ulquiorra Cifer," a stern, commanding female voice spoke up. "My name is Athena. We have much to discuss."

OoOoOoO

The Shireen had been blown off course by a severe storm. Despite the best efforts of Itachi, Ace, and Davos, there was only so much that could be done. It was honestly a miracle the ship was still intact and sailable. Now, they were coming across an icy island.

"Seven Hells, we'll have to drop anchor for a few hours and wait for the storm to pass," Davos said at the helm.

"It can't be helped," Itachi mused as he tied up the rigging.

"Damn it," Ace muttered as he took care of the anchor.

Once taken care of, the three retreated to the cabin. "Don't worry, I can still make the course corrections to Tamatoa's Horde once we sail again," Davos reassured them.

"Hmm," Itachi nodded. "I'm sure they can handle themselves for a few hours longer."

"Yeah," Ace's usual positive attitude was coming back.

"Oh…I've no doubt," Davos chuckled.

"Really? You saw what they could do?" Ace found himself curious.

"Yeah…big ol' jellyfish didn't stand a chance," the old sailor recalled.

Itachi chuckled. "Let me guess…Kisame was the first one at it."

Davos gave a half-hearted stare. "However could you tell?"

"Just years of experience as his partner," Itachi began to sip from his tea.

"Umm," Ace spoke up. "When you say partner…do you mean…?"

Itachi did a spit-take at the implications. "No," he coughed before getting his breath back. "No, we were simply assigned together on missions for the Akatsuki. And our lifestyle didn't exactly encourage such amorous thoughts."

"How so?" Davos pried.

Itachi sighed. "Because Akatsuki was made up of the absolute worst criminals from all over the Elemental Nations. It was a life on the run, to put it simply."

"Man…that's harsh," Ace offered sympathy, holding back his question on what Itachi did to become a criminal. For all he knew, it could've been a situation similar to his own. But, once he got to know Itachi better, Ace would definitely ask.

Before the conversation could continue, the room began to instantly grow cold. Hot drinks froze over, and breaths could be seen.

"Oh…Gods, no," Davos's eyes went wide, having felt this sort of thing before.

Outside their window, the trio saw flashes of fire and ice emanating from the shore.

"What is that?" Ace shivered.

"We need to get out! NOW!" Davos began to frantically run up to deck, undoing everything despite the storm.

"Davos, you know we can't set off now," Itachi tried to speak in a firm voice as he stopped him.

The old sailor still trembled, and not necessarily from the cold.

"You know what's causing this," Ace deduced.

"Aye…it's the foulest thing that ever came from my world. Nearly wiped out all of humanity with its power," Davos recalled.

"What did?" Itachi asked, a growing sense of urgency.

"Him," Davos pointed at the dune overlooking the frozen beach. There was a figure in the shape of a man, wearing old-fashioned armor. An icy spear was clutched in its gaunt hand. What skin could be seen gave off an inhumanly pale sheen. Its bald head had protrusions that gave the impression of icy horns. But the worst part was the eyes. Even from here, Itachi and Ace could feel a cold, penetrating gaze emanating from those shining blue eyes.

Below, absolute carnage was unfolding. Two people were holding out against a horde. One was a young man with half red hair, half white. He was currently using fire and ice in concert with each other. Supporting him was a young woman with long white hair, wielding some sort of rapier that was shooting off blasts of energy.

But the horde itself was what really caught Itachi and Ace's eyes. For the dead themselves were attacking the duo. No matter the state of decay, no matter what was missing, they just kept coming. Glowing blue eyes seemed to be the only constant.

Oh, the two had done a magnificent job surviving this long, but they were running out of room as the dead pushed forward.

Feeling how distressed the two were with Observation Haki, Ace leaped forward. "FIRE FIST!" The Pirate reduced half of the revenants to ash.

"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!" Emulating his mighty ancestor, Itachi made sure that the other half followed suit.

Seeing the undead crumble, Davos actually felt a smirk creep up. "What the hell was I worrying about? These two can handle themselves no problem."

Ace reached the duo first. "Are you two all right?"

"Yeah," the boy panted. "Thanks for the assist. I wore myself out with the first horde."

"We both did," the girl agreed.

"May we have your names?" Itachi asked.

"Shoto Todoroki," the boy answered.

"Weiss Schnee," the girl gave a quick bow.

"Call me Ace," the Pirate gave a warm grin to the two.

"Itachi…and did you say you both already destroyed a horde before we got here?"

"Yeah," Weiss nodded. "Wasted too much of my Dust on them."

"You won't have to worry about that particular brand of enemy," Davos spoke up, eyeing the one who would've brought a frozen apocalypse on his world.

"What exactly are we dealing with here?" Itachi felt compelled to ask.

"The Night King."

Seeing his horde obliterated, the Night King raised an arm, smirking as he did so.

RRAAAHHHH!

Suddenly, a massive something flew down from the sky. It was a Dragon, eyes shining blue. Whatever color it had in life was replaced with a deathly pale blue. The Night King quickly mounted, and the Dragon flew up in an arc.

Then, it began swooping down towards the five.

"GET CLOSE TO ME!" Itachi commanded.

WHOOSH!

The Dragon unleashed a stream of blue fire from its mouth as it flew over. Just in time, Itachi had formed the Susanōō ribcage. Even with such protection, everyone could still feel the intense power behind the attack.

"Davos," Ace shoved Shoto and Weiss into the old sailor's arms. "These two are worn out, get them to the ship."

"No," Shoto started to protest, only for Itachi to glare at him.

"With how tired you two are, you'll only be a hindrance," the Ninja bluntly put it.

Weiss turned to her comrade. "He's right…we have to leave this to them for now."

"Damn it," Shoto cursed.

With that, Davos led the two teens away, eyes glancing back at the Dragon circling overhead. "You know he'll just come after us the first chance he gets," the old sailor pointed out.

"We know," Ace pointed to Itachi. "We'll make sure to keep it over the island."

"Alright, but be careful. That monster has been terrorizing my world for millennia," Davos cautioned before taking his leave with the others.

Turning to the Night King and his steed, Ace smirked. "You ready to show me what ya got, Itachi?"

"Only what's necessary to destroy this abomination," the Ninja glared at the Night King. "Still, we should not underestimate him."

"Yeah, yeah," Ace pulled his fist back.

RRRAAAHHHH! The Dragon roared as it began another swoop, and the fight was on.

OMAKE: Thanksgiving (Charlie Brown Tribute)

Apacci was bouncing an American football in her hands, very bored. Catching sight of Hanataro coming on deck, she smiled as an idea came to her.

"Hey, Hanataro!" she beckoned the Soul Reaper over.

"Yeah?" he nervously asked.

"Wanna participate in a Thanksgiving tradition?" the Hollow gave her most innocent look.

Still cautious, Hanataro nodded.

"Alright!" Apacci stood up the football on the deck, her finger keeping it balanced.

"In America, there's always a traditional game of Football to entertain the masses as they feast. Would you like the honor of giving our crew its own traditional kickoff?" Apacci grandiosely put it.

"Aw, gee! I'd love to!" Hanataro was being taken with enthusiasm.

He ran back for some distance, and then sprinted to the ball. Right before his foot made contact, Apacci lifted the ball up. Without any resistance, Hanataro found himself flipping repeatedly in the air thanks to the power of his kick.

"AAAUUUGGGHHH!"

The Soul Reaper slammed down on his back. Apacci walked over with a smug grin. "Isn't it sad how traditions just fade away?" She left with a noticeable skip in her step.

Hanataro simply groaned. "Good Grief."

A.N. Good Lord…I finally made a chapter with more than one cliffhanger…I'm not sure if that's actually an achievement or not.

Okay…slightly different style than normal. I wanted to show little snippets of what was going on at the same time in this world…hence the 'little' chapters brought into one. My biggest concern was getting the ball rolling for some of these characters and groups…let you guys know they had a part to play.

And we've got two new Gods in the mix. Manannan mac Lir (Celtic God of both the Sea and the Otherworld)…and Athena (Greek Goddess of Strategic Warfare, crafts, and wisdom). I'll go ahead and say that while they're allied with Hades…their ways of operating will be slightly different. So they'll definitely bring a unique flavor.

Let me know which groups you liked seeing the most...and which ones you want to see more of. I greatly enjoyed writing for all of them…it was a nice breather from the Cutty Sark crew before things really pick up with them. I'd also love to hear if I managed to surprise any of you.

Til Next Time…Have Fun!